Me Love Cars' 2013 Reviews P1
MLC brings you his latest reviews of 2013. 'Dead Space 3' If you venture into space today, you'll most likely die. Developer(s): Visceral Games Publisher: Electronic Arts Played on: PlayStation 3. Also available on: XBOX 360 and PC. Ever since the Dead Space franchise started in the earlier years of the PS3 and the 360, I've been loving the games. The Necromorph threat only seems to be getting stronger, and there's no mistaking it in this third entry in the series. Space miner Isaac Clarke finds himself in trouble after finding the supposed controller of all Necromorphs. The red markers are an ancient means of resurrecting these vild creatures and keeping them alive. As well as this, Isaac soon finds himself in the middle of a galactic manhunt. Unitologist contingent Jacob Danik will stop at nothing to hunt Isaac down, ceasing him from destroying this marker and beginning his own "cycle of rebirth." You as Isaac, must fend off this double threat and liberate the human race. As always with the series, the signature Plasma Cutter mining tool returns as the main weapon which can be used to slice and dice your enemies. Use Isaac's strength to bust open resourceful crates and gather your own bag of goods as you strain to survive. Such abilities as kinesis and special stasis powers can help Isaac to traverse the increasingly complex corridors of dark ships and the winding, frosty paths of Tau Volantis; an alien planet that Isaac and the crew end up crash-landing on after complications with navigation. The game starts with two officers seemingly confused of their location on Tau Volantis, after heavy snowfall hinders their visibility. Your job is to return to base after losing one man, and finding the mysterious codex. Pvt. Tim Kaufman finds himself in a sticky situation, coming across several Necromorphs. Epic set pieces and action-packed sequences make this an opening that is somewhat unforgettable. The game picks up quickly, and you soon find yourself back with Isaac Clarke. He and his crew consisting of John Carver, Ellie Langford, Jennifer Santos, Captain Robert Norton, and Austin Buckell are tasked with exploring the desolate planet and finishing what Kaufman and crew were never able to finish. The game's horror aspects have been toned down in favour of an action game, which can be good from different views, but unfriendly to loyal fans of the franchise. The action scenes are fun to do, debuting such new features as rock climbing and navigating complex lift shafts and a more diverse exploration theme. Although these may be interesting, the rock climbing parts are very clunky and unreliable - you often find yourself moving in a much slower degree than the direction your analog sticks are pointing, and this can be frustrating, especially as these parts of the game get trickier towards the last few chapters. Other more space-focused action sequences, such as the free exploration in zero gravity are much more pleasing, normally asking you to perform several objectives which let you explore this "dead space" to its fullest extent. Watching fragments of ship debris slowly coasting through scenic nothingness as the sun glares down on you is surprisingly sintilating and satisfying. In terms of innovation and staying up there with all of the newest horror titles, Dead Space 3 feels like the same game whilst also bringing a plate of new features onto the table simultaneously. You'll still find yourself carving through hordes of demonic Necromorphs and smashing up corpses in order to find and maintain precious resources, but also bringing a second player into battle. Grab a friend and fight off the horror in two-player modes. Fight co-operatively through the story levels, tailored to work with Clarke and Carver. It's important to stick together and doing so will reward you tremendously. Although this isn't a necessity, it's great to play through the story on your own, and then slaughtering boney creatures with a mate is enormous fun, while packing your prized weapon parts together to build the ultimate killing machine. Boss fights become a better experience with two players, as that also allows you to draw heat away from one another and feel more secure as the enemies approach. One very disappointing addition, however, is that human enemies have been introduced and Isaac and Carver often find themselves cowering behind cover from bullets and oncoming rail gun rounds. This drastically alters the experience, sadly in a bad way, for if you enjoy horror shooters as horror shooters and not disguised as action games with a horror element in there, one of the older Resident Evil games would be your best bet. All in all, Dead Space 3 is a fun horror shooter which gradually moves over from dark, dreary corridors to the beautiful, icy environments that still lack the same pleasure in exploring as the former which somehow keeps its mojo after all these years. The story and puzzles are what you should be after, here. If you aren't interested in them, refrain from touching this game at all. Me Love Cars - Founder of Motopedia, Gameopedia, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Wiki, Gran Turismo Wiki and TV and Film Wiki. 20:29, April 20, 2013 (UTC) Positives + Breathtaking set-pieces and environments. Weapon modification is fun to try out and experiment with. The newest part to the story is worthy of attention, but doesn't amaze. Negatives - Gunplay feels samey and can get repetitive. Human enemies. Environments fail to impress during combat and exploration, albeit their beauty. Occassionally clunky melee combat. Graphics: 94% Lifespan: 75% Gameplay: 75% Features: 77% Innovation: 66% Plot: 80% JUDGEMENT: 76% As far as horror franchises go, only a few have kept their magic going over so many years. If the Dead Space franchise were to continue, Visceral Games need to consider going back to the series' roots. 'Dead Island: Riptide' A flawed-but-fun sequel to a flawed-but-fun game. Developer(s): Techland Publisher: Deep Silver Played on: PlayStation 3. Also available on: XBOX 360 and PC. Zombie games are the latest talking points amongst gamers. The need for fleshy virus killing has been around for years, but it's recently reached a whole new level with a wave of games featuring insane means of slaughtering the undead. Dead Island: Riptide is a direct sequel to the 2011 game, Dead Island. One-hit wonder Sam B, guns expert and former bodyguard Purna, former hotel worker Xian Mei, and ex-football star Logan think they've finally escaped the nightmare of a zombie apocalypse on the holiday island of Banoi, but things only get worse. From finding a military vessel out to sea, the crew and their recently acquired helicopter touches down on the doomed cruiseliner into hell. Turbulent winds and violent waves throw the ship out of control and the gang find themselves on the island of Palanai. A non-too-distant holiday destination from that of Banoi. An infection that was not contained in time back on the ship results in the deadly virus spreading, and you must, once again, find away to save yourself and make it off of Palanai. The hacking, slashing, chopping, churning, shooting, looting game series that is widely loved is back. And hope is drowning. As much as I loved Dead Island, there were a mountain of flaws that were never issued. The voice acting ranged from decent to diabolical, and distinct framerate issues were a hinderance to an otherwise enjoyable game. As well as this, some environments were fun to explore, whereas others were dull and depressing. Chrome Engine 5 has been polished, graphics have been somewhat upscaled, a new playable character, a new island, boats, and... erm... that's about it. I could have duplicated a review for the original if only I had already reviewed it and been done, but sometimes too big a change can be too big a mistake. Back to Chrome Engine 5, where we see minor improvements and touch-ups to its overall performance. The zombies' dynamic flesh layers have become slightly more complex, with "Nail'd" weapons now inflicting interesting puncture wounds into several layers of skin and resulting in a small damage bonus every few seconds, as well as a complimentary blood-spurting animation. In addition to this, your characters and kitted out with a special jump attack, and the blood is as brutally satisfying as ever. As fans of the series will agree, lopping a limb or a head off of a mutated torso never gets old - especially if you're fighting a horde of the undead. In terms of exploration on Palanai, I feel that it just does not compare to Banoi, granted there is a more of a variety in different locations, but constantly having to wade through deep swamps and finding boats whilst trying to traverse a dense jungle half-blind is nowhere near as fun as Banoi's lifeguard center, massive hotels, lighthouses, and signature dark chambers and corridors. Be ready to do plenty of sidequests as the main story shifts quickly from location to location; completion of as much of the game is mandatory, but not a necessity. The "Fast Travel" system brings back the 'teleport to wherever you want' element from the original game, but characters also move around quickly and frantically, as you scramble to different places throughout the story mode. Don't get me wrong, Palanai is still a sight to be seen in some cases, but half of the scenery is dull and uninspired. This is perked up slightly by the myriad of new zombies and monsters on the island. Genetic mutations have been carried further and the classic suiciders and thugs are joined by mutated scientists and fast-moving, larger versions of the infected, as well as tough new bosses. Hub defense is also a great new addition, and one that was desperately needed. Upgrade your NPC friends' weaponry and turn your basic fences into electrified zombie fryers. And whilst the non-playable friends aren't completely useless, some effort can be put into upgrading them, but could still use a rethink into what can be done to make them more helpful, without making the game too easy. For everything else, weapon balancing, upgrading, repairing and creating is as prosperus as ever, as well as new mods to try out and new character skins. It's still the most addicting thing ever to be able to create your own custom zombie-killing machine and slaying packs of them without even trying. You can make anything from venomous, sharp machetes and katanas to high-powered, electrified guns. Pistols and rifles were notoriously underpowered in the original Dead Island back on Banoi, but Techland have also put in some effort to help butch up firepower a little bit, whilst also not making you completely reliant on sidearms and such. The story, once again, is surprisingly fun and you are always eager to see what's just around the corner, as well as orchestral music slowly building in tension as you near an important objective. Skill trees are practically identical to that of the original, but extremely small on-screen menu text makes it hard to make out what you're actually spending with your hard-earned skill points. Whether this was a deliberate move by the developers to make players take more of a gamble, I have no idea. It's not a big flop, but the prequel did a great job with menus, whereas Riptide does a shoddy job of clearing up the menu system. As you near the end of the game, prepare to be somewhat surprised as well as disappointed, as the ending, much like the beginning, is a bit cliche and unimaginative. No more shall be said, but one thing is for sure. If you have Dead Island, why not pick up Dead Island: Riptide, because you'll have a blast. Me Love Cars - Founder of Motopedia, Gameopedia, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Wiki, Gran Turismo Wiki and TV and Film Wiki. 21:52, April 29, 2013 (UTC) Positives + Zombie slashing is fun and addictive. Collecting cash to spend on desirable weapons is a way of keeping you hooked, whilst slowly staying at your pace. Distinct differences between Banoi and Palanai... Negatives - ... Which sometimes get a bit dull and uninteresting. Annoying little glitches, as in sudden weather changes. Screen tearing and performance problems, hampered furthermore by framerate and drops for as long as five minutes. Unimaginative prologue and epilogue. Voice acting fluctuates from decent to atrocious. Graphics: 75% Lifespan: 80% Gameplay: 86% Features: 77% Innovation: 69% Plot: 63% JUDGEMENT: 79% It may seem like more of the same, but Dead Island: Riptide does well to bring new things to the table, as well as maintaining fan-favourite attributes. 'Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse (Review In Progress)' Brian and Stewie go on an out-of-this-world adventure across the multiverse. Developer(s): Heavy Iron Studios Publisher: Activision Played on: PlayStation 3. Also available on: XBOX 360. The Family Guy television series is a hit. Unfortunately, the video games are a different story. Brian and Stewie are attempting to foil evil half-brother Bertram's evil plot to destroy the universe, by utilizing Stewie's advance in technology to follow him through the space-time continuum in a bid to save their world as they know it. Travelling through several unique alterations of Quahog, use an arsenal of different weapons whilst unlocking plenty of special perks for use in-game.